


Learned From You

by mokyy_03



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Feels, Car Accidents, Character Death, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Permanent Injury, Theater Club, Unrequited Crush, bridge to terabithia inspired au, im sorry sldkjflsk, it's really sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27647306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mokyy_03/pseuds/mokyy_03
Summary: “What’s your name again?"“Clay. Clay Borna, but my family calls me Dream. You?”"George Davidson.""Well, George Davidson,” the boy started, standing up and fixing his mask. From where he sat, George thought that Dream looked like a true warrior, standing tall and proud. Dirty blonde hair moved with the mellow breeze, green eyes staring at the open field with glamour and glee unlike anything the British boy had ever seen. For a split second, he swore he saw a crown sitting a top Dream’s head, lavish gems catching on the light and blinding him for a second. When he blinked, green eyes were staring at him, white mask smiling at George with mock humor,“We’re gonna have a lot of fun.”---------this is entirely a work of fiction. i do not ship the real people portrayed in this story, and understand they are very real human beings. this is just for shits and giggles. if you do not like the ship, or like RPF, please continue to scroll by.  i hope you have a great day :)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet." ___
> 
> __- **Plato ******__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the story! take a seat, relax, and enjoy the wild ride of emotions that is to come!
> 
> Please do not send this to any of the CCs portrayed in this work or mention it outside of the fandom. Negative comments will also be deleted. Once again, this is a fictional piece, I do not ship the real people nor will I shove it down their throats. I respect their boundaries as humans and homies :)

The rattle of keys and the sound of the door slamming shut awoke the boy from his slumber. Kaleidoscopic eyes stared at the ceiling silently, listening to the soft snoring of his younger cousins in the beds scattered around the room. George could hear the muffled conversation between his aunt and uncle from the kitchen right below them, going on about needing to stop by the store later that day for food. At some point, he swore he heard the mentions of some new people moving in next door, but before he could focus on their words, the curtain separating his side of the room from the other boys was yanked back. George rolled his eyes and groaned, shoving his pillow over his face to block out the sound of Tommy’s voice so early in the morning.

“Gooooood morning, _Gogy_!”

“Don’t you _dare_ use that name when we’re in school.”

“Why not? Scared the pretty girls won’t like you anymore?” Tommy taunted him. George groaned and continued laying there, blocking out the sound of his youngest cousin berating him on and on. A solid thunk and the screeching of Tommy finally had him peeking over the pillow on his face, brow raised in confusion before his lips shifted into a grin as he saw Wilbur standing beside Tommy, glaring at his younger brother.

“What the hell are you doing, man? It’s 6 am in the bloody morning, and here you are squawking like a bird.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

George sat up and, with careful movements, managed to tip-toe around the bickering brothers and slip out of the room with a yawn. Shuffling across the squeaky, wooden boards, he made his way downstairs, combing his fingers through his hair and trying to wake himself up as the conversation in the kitchen became louder and clearer. At the table sat Techno, quietly eating his breakfast as Tubbo rambled off about something new he learned while gardening with Kristen. With a sleepy _Good morning_ , George grabbed himself a plate and served himself pancakes with eggs. 

“Oh, good morning, kiddo!” Phil said to George, ruffling his hair as he walked by him. George looked back up and waved at his uncle, before going back to stuffing his face full of food. Phil walked around and sat beside Techno, pulling out his newspaper as Kristen walked over and sat a hot cup of coffee in front of her husband.

“George, are Wilbur and Tommy awake yet? I don’t want them running late on their first day of school.”

“They’re awake. Wilbur was bollocking Tommy for waking us up.”

“Oh, that boy,” Kristen said with a shake of her head, curly black locks of hair moving with her movements. Phil chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she sat down, putting the newspaper down in favor of picking up his coffee. George watched them quietly before turning his gaze back down to his half-empty plate, trying not to let his feelings overwhelm him again.

He loved his family, honest to god he did. Even when Tommy and Tubbo would drive him up the wall, or Wilbur would purposely rile him up to get some banter out of him, he cared deeply for his cousins. But he couldn’t hide the fact it hurt to be the odd one out in the household. Sure, they were family, but.. Not the type of family he wanted. Tommy, Tubbo, Techno, and Wilbur had someone to call mom and dad. George, on the other hand..

George just had himself.

The rush of footsteps down the stairs snapped him out of his daze as he looked over his shoulder in time to see Wilbur and Tommy nearly slip down the last flight. Quietly snorting, he turned away before his youngest cousin heard him, distracting himself with finishing the last of his breakfast. With a rushed good morning, Tommy sat on the other side of Tubbo and grabbed himself a plate, immediately bickering with his sibling about comic books and video games. Wilbur rolled his eyes and took his usual spot next to George, grabbing his food and digging in without hesitation.

“So, you guys excited to start a new school year?” Kristen asked, clapping her hands together and smiling at her kids. Tubbo enthusiastically nodded and swallowed loudly, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Yeah! There have been rumors that this new school has a video game club and Tommy and I wanna try to get into it!”

“I heard they have orchestral classes, maybe you might wanna go for that as well, Tubs, considering your love for video game music,” Phil added, laughing when Tubbo gasped and practically lit up like a firework. George couldn't help but smile and shake his head slightly, pushing around the last of his eggs uninterestedly. 

“That reminds me.. Techno, honey, you’re teachers have been informed of your change in medication. If you start feeling dizzy or anything like that, you go straight to your professors and tell them, alright?”

“Oh come on, Kristen. He’s been on his medication for half the summer now, he’ll be alright.” Phil assured her as he rubbed her arm soothingly, pressing a kiss to her temple. With a small sigh, she stood and motioned him to the kitchen, picking up the dirty plates and walking away. Phil closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, before getting up and following his wife to the kitchen where they’d be out of earshot of the kids. Tubbo looked at Techno and reached out, patting the older boy’s shoulder with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Tech. If anyone picks on you, you let Toms and I know and we’ll handle them!”

“Yeah! No one picks on our older brother except us!” 

Techno looked at them with an amused smile as he chuckled and nodded his head. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he stood and grabbed his empty plate and cup, placing them on the island before heading upstairs to his room to change. George followed suit, blinking away the last remaining slivers of sleep from his eyes as he grabbed his clothes from the closet and trudged into the bathroom, opting for a quick, cold shower.

After a few minutes (and after Tommy had started pounding on the bathroom door, yelling to get out), George made his way to the front door and slipped on his coat and shoes. Waiting outside, the boy took a deep breath in, letting the cold, refreshing morning air fill his lungs. That was one of the few perks of living in the countryside, he thought idly as he kicked a pebble off the porch. No more ghastly city air that hurt his lungs every time he breathed, or that formed a permanent haze over the tall skyscrapers and business buildings. As he took a seat on the steps, he dug around his backpack before pulling out an old notebook that was hanging by a thread and a pen. 

Flipping through tattered pages filled with half finished drawings and cartoons, he opened up to a new page and began to doodle. He let his mind wander to a fantasy world that no other person could see. George let himself be absorbed into his drawing, eyes carefully tracing over every sketch line and speck of ink on the paper. Before long, he pulled away and smiled at his work, admiring the cartoonish doodle of his cousins as kings and warriors, dressed for battle and ready to lead them to victory.

“You know, I heard this school’s art classes are some of the best offered here on the countryside.” Philza suddenly piped up beside him, taking a seat beside George as the boy jumped and subconsciously slammed his notebook close. His uncle laughed and held out his hand, moving his fingers to motion him to hand the book over. With a bit of hesitance, the younger boy gently placed his most prized possession in his caretaker’s hand, looking away as pale cheeks flushed a light red color. He heard the rustling of pages as the older man flipped through, humming in approval at the doodles and letting out a cackle when he saw a drawing of Tommy as a gremlin.

“George, mate, these are amazing! Have you ever thought of getting an art major once you’re headed off to uni?”

“Uh, yeah actually, I have. When I lived in the city, my parents used to take me to art classes all the time, ‘cause if they didn’t, they’d find their living room walls covered in doodles made with crayons and markers.” George said with a chuckle, smiling fondly at the memory. Phil smiled as well and handed back his notebook, getting up and ruffling his hair playfully.

“You’re a good kid, George. Kristen and I are extremely proud of how strong you are.”

The boy looked up, denial clear on his face as he forced a smile and nodded, quickly looking back down and rushing to stuff his notebook and pen back into his backpack. On cue, the rest of his cousins walked out of the house, conversations overlapping each other as he could faintly hear Kristen call out to Tommy to grab his lunch money. With a shake of his head, Phil raised his keys with a grin and jingled them, quickly catching the attention of the other boys.

“Alright, so in honor of your first day back to school, the first one to reach the car gets to drive it! Ready, se-”

Before he could even finish, Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo were sprinting towards the old, beat up Land-Rover 88, much to the protests of their mother. Phil cackled as Kristen smacked his arm, pulling her close by the waist before kissing her sweetly. Techno awkwardly side stepped around them, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as his parents giggled and smooched like teenagers. George was right at his side in a second, stiffly making his way to the car as Wilbur was currently holding Tommy away from him by placing a calloused hand on his head and preventing him from moving closer.

“Wilbur, that’s not fair! I was here first!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Like dad would ever let a little gremlin child like you drive his car.”

“Ughh, I hate you! You’re a poor excuse for an older brother!” the youngest cried out, smacking Wilbur’s arm away and glaring at him. When Wilbur laughed and tried to ruffle his hair, he simply pushed him away and made his way to the opposite side of the station wagon, sticking close to Tubbo as his twin frowned and wrapped an arm around his torso. Brown eyes rolled so far back into his head that George nearly thought they’d stay there as Wilbur groaned and leaned against the door of the car, arms crossed over his chest angrily.

“Tommy is the reason I absolutely detest younger kids. If I’m a poor excuse for an older brother, he’s a fucking mistake-”

“ _Will_ , watch that mouth of yours young man. If I catch you saying that one more time, you’re grounded for a week with double the chores. Understood?” Phil spoke seriously as Wilbur looked at him exasperatedly and motioned to the opposite side of the car.

“Dad, he _literally_ said the same shit about me! Why don’t you ever listen to me?!”

“ _William!”_

At that, Wilbur went rigid, gaze dropping to the ground as Phil practically fumed. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and went to place a hand on his oldest son’s shoulder, only to have it shrugged off. The lanky teen walked away with his eyes glued to the ground, gripping the straps of his backpack until his knuckles went white. Kristen gazed at her husband with a disappointed look before approaching Wilbur and wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulder, leading him back inside.

“I’ll drop him off on my way to work, you take the other kids.”

“Thanks honey..” Phil mumbled as the screen door shut with a click, leaving them in tense silence. George awkwardly messed with a loose string on his shirt as his uncle cleared his throat before putting on a way too bright smile and holding up the keys once again.

“Tubbo, why don’t you try it out and then Tommy can have it on the way back after school?”

“Sure!”

With a bellowing laugh, Phil unlocked the doors and let the kids climb in, adjusting the seat so that his youngest could easily reach the pedals without much of a struggle. As the buggy made its way out of the house and down the old gravel road, George zoned out, resting his temple against the cold glass window looking to the outside. They passed fields of corn and wheat, cows and sheep grazing at plows of sweet green grass as the morning dew dripped off the petals of honeysuckles and sunflowers. By the time he zoned back in, they had finally pulled up to school, the tired voices of teenagers and kids alike floating through the open windows as Phil congratulated Tubbo on not crashing the car.

“Alright, out you go, gents. George, can you keep an eye out on the twins? Don’t want them to be late to their first class.”

“Will do, Phil.”

“Thank you. Oh and uh.. Could you tell Wilbur I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to snap at him like that earlier..”

George quietly nodded as Phil smiled and scooted into the driver’s, waving goodbye at his kids before driving off. With a sigh, George made his way inside as Tommy and Tubbo ran off to annoy whoever they could. Techno carefully watched George before shaking his head and taking a seat under a tree, pulling out a book to read as he waited for his older brother to show up.

As he made his way down the hallway, he rounded the corner and nearly bumped into a slightly taller boy, who immediately began to apologize before he realized who the other was.

“George! Dude, I haven’t seen you all summer man, how have you been?”

“It’s good to see you too, Karl.”

Karl beamed brightly and shifted his backpack further up his shoulder, stuffing his hands into his pockets and rocking back and forth on his feet. George began to walk to his homeroom, letting the younger man follow him as he began to rant endlessly about what he had done over the summer. He told him about his visit to America to see his parents, and the different places his older brother had taken him to after he too came back from university. 

“And then, Jimmy fell off the boat to try- Oh god, hide.”

“Hide? Wha-”

Before he could say anything, he was yanked into the boy’s bathroom, nearly stumbling back as he sputtered in surprise. Karl placed his finger on his lips in a shushing motion, peeking through a small crack in the door as George rolled his eyes and copied him. His breath hitched as he heard that all too familiar cackle, followed by some rather harsh words. There, in front of him, strolled Schlatt all too carelessly, followed by none other than Quackity as the younger laughed at whatever cruel thing the older boy had done. The two boys watched them walk by quietly, and once they were out of earshot, let out a breath of relief and exited the restroom.

“He’s still here? I thought he got expelled last year.”

“Nuh-uh. I thought so too but apparently, the school got a rather.. Harsh call from his parents. Heard it made the desk lady cry.”

George grimaced before shaking his head and sighing. He too had his fair share of close calls with Schlatt, but the other seemed to like him a lot more than he liked his cousins. Being called ‘pretty boy’ continuously was nothing in comparison to what he had done to Tommy and Tubbo when the twins were far younger, going as far as pushing them into the river downtown when it was flooded from the previous night's rainfall. Or even ripping up Wilbur’s music sheet that he was to turn in as a final grade the night before exams. He shivered, remembering just how broken he sounded that night, hiccupping and crying into his pillow after he thought no one else was awake. 

The sound of the bell ringing broke him from his thoughts as Karl waved goodbye, promising to find him during lunch. As he watched the lanky boy run the other way, catching up to an old friend, George turned and shuffled the rest of the way to his homeroom, mumbling a good morning to his teacher before taking his seat at the back of the classroom where no one would bother him.

As teenagers began to flood the room, he pulled out his notebook and once again let himself be absorbed into his own fantasy, creating his universe and its people without anyone bothering him. He liked it, even if he knew his teacher’s talked about it to Phil and Kristen. About how he was always quiet, never spoke out of turn, never stuck close to anyone in particular. 

George didn’t care. If he was destined to be alone, then fuck it. He’d make it.

He'd made it without his parents, he'd be able to make it without any friends.

When the bell rang, the brown haired boy looked up as the teacher walked to the front of class and clapped her hands together, the last bits of students getting situated as the woman up front beamed and held her arms, welcoming them in.

“Good morning, students! Welcome back to your last year in college, whoop whoop! I’m sure all of you are very happy to finally be headed off to university. Before we get into anything, I’d like to introduce you guys to a new student. He, his younger brother, and his dad just recently moved over from the States, so things are rather different for him. Please treat him well.”

The class burst out in hushed murmurs as George shrugged uninterestedly, turning his gaze to look out the window as he watched a bee land on a honeysuckle planted outside. He tuned out the rest of the voices, the only thing he could hear being his breathing and the blood rushing through his head. A sharp gasp from a girl sitting to his right caught his attention once again as he turned his gaze to the front, only to come face to face with..

A mask? 

The class sat in shocked silence as the professor placed a hand on the lanky boy’s shoulder and smiled, extending her hand to the rest of the class. George tilted his head as he examined the new student closely, brown eyes squinted as he took him in.

Longish, wavy hair that was tied back into a small, stubby ponytail, nails painted a dark colour (George bet it was black. It had to be.), and a mask with simple dots for eyes and a small smile. The boy wore a long sleeved shirt under a normal one with _The Beatles_ plastered over the front, his jeans rolled above the ankle to show off some worn-out high top Converse, scribbled with doodles and stickers. 

“Class, please welcome your new classmate, Clay Borna.”

Clay Borna.

God, how that name would come to haunt George in the best and worst ways imaginable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold." ___
> 
> __
> 
> __**\- Zelda Fitzgerald ******_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much for the support !! i greatly appreciate it <3

“Class, please welcome your new classmate, Clay Borna.”

The class erupted into muffled _Welcome'_ s as the boy stood straight and waved at them. Glancing at the older woman beside him, he waited for her nod of approval before clearing his throat and flexing his fingers nervously, reaching up and shifting his mask a tiny bit.

“Hello! As you all heard my name is Clay Borna, but I’d like to be referred to as Dream. My younger brother, dad and I all moved over from Florida. We came down here about 2 days ago, so I haven’t actually taken the time to explore the town. But anyways, I hope we can become great friends!” he enthusiastically said, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck shyly.

All he received were quiet stares.

“Well, Dream, it’s a pleasure to have you be part of the class! We currently only have one available seat, and that's near the back next to George. If you have any problems viewing the board, please let me know. George, would you be so kind as to raise your hand?”

The boy froze as all eyes landed on him, variegated eyes casted down as he slowly raised his hand. He heard shuffling footsteps making their way over, before the sound of a backpack hitting the floor and a sigh had him hesitantly looking to his right. Dream had situated himself in the chair, sliding down a bit to try and make himself smaller than the rest. Feeling the other's gaze on him, Dream turned his head and met George’s eyes, both boys staring at each other quietly before quickly looking away. 

Throughout the entirety of his homeroom period, George would steal a glance at the new boy, taking in detail by detail. From his angle, he could faintly make out the freckles splattered over his neck and behind his ears, rushing up and hiding behind the porcelain mask as they danced across his hidden cheekbones. The British boy could see the piercings decorating the other’s cartilage carefully, beautiful glimmering gems bringing out the near perfect tan skin. He felt his mouth run dry the longer he stared, and yet, everytime he tried to look away, he’d blink and catch himself staring, as if Dream were the most enticing thing in the entire world.

Damn.

The distant sound of the bell ringing had him springing to his feet, grabbing his bag and books and rushing to the door. He thought he heard someone call out his name, but by then, he was a good ways down the hallway, trying to calm the rush of adrenaline coursing through him. George slowly brought himself to a halt, staring down the crowded hallway as the voices of fellow classmates and students flowed through his ears enough to get him to snap back into focus and walk to class.

He could already tell this year would be an absolute disaster.

\---------------

“Hey, hey Gogy!! Sit with us, big man!”

“What did I say about calling me that, you little gremlin?” George hissed through his teeth, glaring at Tommy as the younger cackled and patted the empty spot beside him. Tubbo looked up from a flyer on his lap and waved, chewing on his sandwich as he observed this cousin sigh and plop down beside Tommy. 

“Have you met the new transfers from America? Those damn Americans just coming over trying to.. To.. _Americanize_ everything, ya know?”

“Don’t be a bigot, Tommy.” Wilbur called out as he came up on the hill, tugging Techno along as the two brothers took a seat opposite of Tommy and George. The youngest huffed and rolled his eyes, popping a grape into his mouth as he leaned back onto his right hand and looked up at the branches providing them shade.

“Anyways, George, I’ve heard you have the new guy Clay in your homeroom. What’s he like?” Wilbur asked as he took a bite of his breadroll, watching the screws in the other’s head practically turn as he processed how to answer the question. George shrugged as he added chicken to his salad, reaching for the ranch beside him as he could practically feel the tips of ears begin to redden. 

“He’s alright, not much of a talker. He sits beside me near the back, and asked us to call him Dream over Clay. Something about that being what his family calls him.”

“Oh, he’s the guy with the mask right? Tommy and I have his younger brother, Nick, in our math period! He also asked us to call him Sapnap over Nick. Kind of weirdchamp.” Tubbo exclaimed through a mouthful of bread and ham, swallowing loudly and wiping his mouth. Techno made a small noise of humour before going back to eating, flicking a piece of potato into his mouth quietly. 

"We literally have a brother we call Techno, but okay, _Tubbo_."

"That's not what I meant!"

The 5 boys burst out laughing, before it slowly died down into complete silence, leaving them to dig into their lunch quietly as the warm summer breeze blew through them. At some point, Tommy stuffed his trash into his backpack and laid on Tubbo’s lap, eyes closed as he mumbled something about needing a nap. George smiled a tiny bit before perking up at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him, catching his cousin’s attention as well as they turned back to look at the source of the noise.

To their big surprise, Dream stood there rubbing the back of his neck, kicking at the loose ground with the top of his shoe. Beside him stood a younger boy, black hair lifted slightly by a white bandana tied around his head. George eyed them both carefully, turning to glance at Wilbur with a confused look before shifting back to the other two once again.

“Hey, um, I understand we don’t exactly know each other, but I was just wondering if my brother Sapnap and I could have lunch with you guys. It’s alright if you say no! You’re just the first faces we recognized out here, everyone else kind of just.. Ya know.." he motioned with his hands awkwardly, flexing his fingers once again as they waited for an answer.

“Uh, sure, take a seat, please.” Wilbur nudged Techno over, scooting to make space beside him. Dream let out what sounded like a sigh of relief, pushing his brother to move forward as he took a seat between him and George. The British boy ineptly waved at Dream, before locking his eyes to the floor as a stiff silence overcame them. For a few tense minutes, no one said a word, the only sound being that of the masked boy’s fork scraping against his tupperware and Sapnap pushing the wrapper away from his face every time he took a bite of his food.

“So, where in America are you guys from?” Wilbur finally asked, breaking the silence and taking a heavy weight off of all of them. Looking up, Dream adjusted his mask so only his mouth could be seen as he smiled and sat up.

“We’re from Florida! Ya know, Sunshine State and all. We lived in Houston for a while, but dad hated the heat, so we decided to move.”

“What brought you to a shitty town like this? I mean, you guys definitely look like you can afford to live in the city.” Tommy piped up from where he continued to lay on Tubbo’s lap, eyes raking up and down both the brother’s as Dream glanced at Sapnap before going back to the other boy.

“Well, we aren’t exactly fond of cities. Ever since I was a baby, my parents and I have always lived on the outskirts. After mom died, our dad needed a change of scenery, so we kept moving around until he was offered a good paying position here in the UK."

' _After mom died'_.

The words kept repeating themselves in his head, over and over as George dug his nails into his leg to ground himself. Tommy was quick to notice and immediately began to poke at George's side, grinning when the older boy snorted and swatted his hand away playfully. Dream glanced over and tilted his head curiously, hair poking out of his ponytail as Tommy continued distracting his cousin from the thoughts he knew would drown him.

After a while, the bells began to chime, signaling that they had 10 minutes left of lunch. Wilbur stood and stretched his arms above his head, groaning as bones popped and shifted with his movements. Picking up his trash, he grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder, nudging at Techno’s thigh with the tip of his foot. Tilting his head in silent question, Techno nodded and stood as well, glancing at Dream and waving quietly as Wilbur did the same.

“We’re gonna head back now. Techno wanted me to check something out in the agricultural classes, and that’s on the other side of campus. We'll see ya around, Dreamiepoo.”

The dirty blonde haired boy couldn't help but wheeze, waving as the two brothers began to walk away. Before he could get too far, George grabbed Wilbur's pants leg, stopping him in his tracks. The other tilted his head and smiled, brushing his hair out of his face as the older boy scratched at his head quizzically, stumbling over his words as he thought about what to say.

“Uh, Phil wanted me to tell you sorry, for what happened this morning..”

His cousin blinked, smile falling as George looked away apologetically. After a few seconds, he heard Wilbur and Techno finally walk away, practically feeling the tense energy oozing from his cousin. Tommy and Tubbo were also immediately on their feet, brushing off the dirt on their pants and grabbing hastily at their books.

"The gaming club meeting is in 5 minutes, so Tubs and I are gonna check it out."

"Oh, you guys are checking that out too? Wait for me, I'll go with you!" Sapnap piped up from beside his brother, playfully punching the older's arm as he got up and followed the twins down the hill, throwing backhanded comments at each other as if they hadn't literally just met less than 20 minutes ago. George sighed as he pushed himself onto his knees, beginning to quietly pick up the trash his cousin's left behind from their lunch. 

From his spot, Dream watched him silently, mask showing no emotion as a warm breeze rustled the leaves of the tree overhead. George swallowed hard and glanced over his shoulder, shifting until he sat with his back against the large oak and his fingers rested on the cool dirt beneath him. They stayed completely still, a serene silence falling over them as blue-brown eyes examined the masked boy with wonder and curiosity, feeling as if they had met before, somewhere far away from this shitty little town and away from judgmental eyes. The way that mask stared at him, feeling like it could uncover and read all his secrets that laid within, or the way dirty blonde locks of hair would sway with the wind that blew every now and again. It all felt.. Familiar. It felt close, warm and soft and-

And like home.

“What’s your name again?” George found himself asking, watching as Dream perked up from his spot across from him. The boy chuckled before ruffling his own hair, leaning back onto his wrists and tilting his head curiously.

“Clay. Clay Borna, but my family calls me Dream. You?”

“George Davidson.” 

Another breeze blew through them, shaking even the Earth below his fingertips. The birds seemed to sing louder, the distant croak of a raven carried by the wind echoing through the grassy hills of the campus. Squirrels chirped somewhere overhead, running across the branches of the tree and scavenging for food to eat. George licked at his lips, lashes fluttering against pale cheeks as he continued looking at Dream like he had strung up the damn moon and stars.

“Well, George Davidson,” the boy started, standing up and fixing his mask. From where he sat, George thought that Dream looked like a true warrior, standing tall and proud. Dirty blonde hair moved with the mellow wind, green eyes staring at the open field with glamour and glee unlike anything the British boy had ever seen. For a split second, he swore he saw a crown sitting on top of Dream’s head, lavish gems catching on the light and blinding the older boy for a second. When he blinked, curious eyes were staring at him, white mask smiling at George with mock humour, 

“We’re gonna have a lot of fun.”

Those words echoed throughout his head for the rest of the day, ringing in the back of his mind as he sat in his math class looking out the window, twirling his pencil in hand and paying zero attention to the teacher rambling. They stuck with him as he shoved books into his locker and walked out of the building at the end of the day, shuffling alongside Tubbo as the younger ranted about how it wasn’t fair to have homework on the first day back. It was all he could think about as he sat in the back of Phil’s car, staring out into nothing as the vehicle bumped along the potholes Tommy seemed to be purposefully running over.

“Earth to George? Georgie? You alright there, kid?” Phil eventually asked, glancing over his shoulder to look at his nephew. The boy blinked, before nodding and scratching at his chin with an awkward chuckle.

“Yeah sorry, just tired.”

Phil slowly nodded, before turning around as his youngest son turned the car into the driveway. Soon, George found himself slowly trudging inside, the once quiet house quickly filling up with the voices of the other boys as they marched inside and made themselves comfortable. He made his way upstairs without another word, nudging open the door to his room and plopping face down onto the bed. With his face buried in his pillow, he let his eyes close, mind wandering back to the new student that seemed to have engraved himself into his brain. From the eye catching piercings on his ears, to the freckles that showed over his neck, George could practically picture Dream perfectly in his head. His hands tightened into fists, gripping at blue coloured blankets as he turned over and stared up at the old glow in the dark stars glued to the ceiling.

“George, suppers ready! Go wash up and then come downstairs alright?” Kristen called from down the hall, making her way to the kitchen as she asked her sons questions about their first days. The boy sighed and sat up, running a hand through his hair before pushing himself off the mattress and going to the bathroom to clean up. The cold water that ran through his fingers and splashed against the sides of the porcelain sink helped to clear the fog in his brain a bit, letting him take a moment to just _breathe_ and sort everything that was running through his mind.

With a final look at himself in the mirror, George made his way downstairs, joining the rest of his family at the kitchen table as they carried on with their conversations. He rested his chin on his forearms, staring sightlessly into his cup of water and attempting to ignore Tommy's whines of not wanting to do whatever chore Kristen had assigned him after supper. He had nearly zoned out completely, tracing invisible patterns into the wooden table under his arms, before he was snapped back by a small poke to his side. Picking his head up, George looked to his right, meeting the gentle smile of Phil as the older man leaned his chin onto the palm of his open hand.

"What about you? How was your first day back in Year 13?"

"It was alright, I guess. Nothing much happened. We did meet the new transfer student from America, though, he's in my homeroom."

George mumbled on about his day, playing with his cup's saucer as his uncle listened without interruption. The conversation soon died out as Kristen and Tubbo slid their plates in front of them, setting down the last bit of food as George sat up and began to dig in. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before they erupted in friendly banter, Techno's quiet chuckles and Phil's bellowing laugh filling the house with a comforting warmth that only a family could create.

"That reminds me, we have some new neighbors! Was thinking we could maybe walk over next door and give them the welcoming pie I baked earlier, what do you think, honey?" Kristen said, wiping her mouth with a napkin as Phil chewed on a piece of chicken, swallowing before nodding with an approving smile.

"Sounds good to me! Heard from the guys down at the field that it's a single dad with two boys. Maybe these little gremlins can finally have someone else to play with."

"Dad, we're not 5." Tommy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Wilbur slapped a hand over his mouth and tried to hold back his laughter.

A few minutes later, George found himself walking down the hill to the new neighbor's house, carefully making his way through the random holes in the ground. In the distance, the sun was slowly setting, painting the sky beautiful shades of purple and pink. The clouds grouped up created a gentle contrast against the vibrant colours, moving lazily across with the gentle breeze. Up ahead, he could hear the twins laughing, kicking at loose rocks as Wilbur ranted about a new song project he was working on with Phil. As the neared the front of the house, he could see a few figures moving inside behind closed curtains. The gentle tune of music was carried outside through an open upstairs window, the beat sounding strangely familiar to George as they walked up to the front door and knocked.

The door opened to reveal a young man, probably in his mid 20s, holding a mug in hand. He wore black jeans and a dark red hoodie with black accents, rectangular glasses sitting on a sharp nose. Chestnut coloured hair was pushed away from his face to reveal a gentle smile, warm eyes greeting them before anyone could say anything.

"Hi there! We heard you guys just moved in, so we decided to drop by and leave you some freshly made apple pie as a welcome gift." Kristen piped up with a bright smile, holding out the pan in her hands.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much! My kids will absolutely love this. Speaking of them, boys! Come here and say hello to our new neighbors!"

The sound of pounding feet against wooden floors had George looking up from the ground, expecting some young kids to pop up. However, as the man's sons came rounding the corner and stood beside him, all lanky limbs and messy hair, George swore he could feel his heart skip a beat, breath hitching in his throat as multi-coloured eyes met the familiar, white porcelain mask.

"Dream?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"The higher you build walls around your heart, the harder you fall when someone tears them down." ___
> 
> __- **Unknown ******__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the support !! ill be on winter break for the next 2-3 weeks, so hopefully i can start pumping these chapters out quicker. once again, thank you so much 1 <3<3

A lot of unexpected things seemed to happen to George.

From losing both his parents, to having to move out of the city and into the countryside with his father’s brother, it all seemed to happen at such a quick pace that he still struggled to try and properly wrap his head around everything. And now, here he was, standing in front of not only his new neighbor, but the new kid at school who he hadn’t been able to get out of his head from the second George laid eyes on him. His mouth ran dry as Dream looked at him, tilting his mask up slightly so that he could see a beaming smile that had him looking away, feeling the heat start to crawl up the back of his neck.

“Oh, do you two know each other already?”

“Yup! They're the kids that Sapnap and I had lunch with that I was telling you about.” Dream explained to his father, who smiled brightly and looked over at the group of boys. Tommy and Tubbo were currently to the side with Sapnap, pointing at each other accusingly and freaking out about the fact they lived next door to each other. Phil glanced at George and smiled, ruffling his hair as the older boy huffed softly and pushed away at his uncle’s hand.

“Oh, how rude of me! My name’s Darryl Noveschosch, and these are my kids, Clay being my oldest and Nicholas being my baby.”

Dream chuckled at the squawk of embarrassment that Sapnap let out, before extending his hand towards Phil and Kristen. They shook his hand with an amused smile as Phil reached out to shake Darryl’s hand as well. 

“My name’s Phil Watson, and this is my wife Kristen. And these,” pulling away, he placed both hands on either of Tommy and Tubbo’s shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze as they looked up at Darryl and simultaneously tilted their heads the opposite way of each other, “are my youngest set of twins, Thomas and Toby. Our older set is William and David, and this here is my nephew, George.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we can become great neighbors!” 

After a bit of chatting, they bid farewell and began to walk off back to the house, but not before Dream ran after them, calling out George’s name. Looking over at his uncle, Phil gave him a thumbs up as George nodded and walked back over to Dream, who had come to a complete stop in front of him.

“Did you need something?”

“Yeah, uh, I was wondering.. Do you want to exchange numbers? Considering we’re in the same homeroom class and all.. It’s alright if you don’t want to! Don’t wanna creep you out or anything.” Dream said with a chuckle that had butterflies fluttering in George’s stomach. 

Feigning an annoyed sigh, he held his hand out towards Dream, tilting his head and raising a brow as Dream sputtered over his words and quickly patted himself down, searching for his phone. Pulling it out of his pocket, he handed the device over to the older boy with a beaming smile, rocking on his heels as George punched in his number before handing it back to the other. As he began to walk away, the taller of the two grabbed his wrist gently and pulled him back, still holding his phone in hand.

“Wait, I need a picture of you to put as my contact photo! Otherwise, how will I know which George I’m talking to?”

“Wait what-”

“Smile!”

Before he knew what was happening, the phone’s camera went off, snapping his picture. George could feel the heat quickly rising to his cheeks as Dream cackled, pressing some things into his screen before looking up with that same bright smile. 

“Aww, don’t be mad, you look cute! Anyways, I should head back before it gets too dark. Goodnight George, see you tomorrow!”

In the blink of an eye, Dream was walking back to his house, leaving George standing alone in the middle of the grassy fields. Heterochronic eyes stared at the departing figure’s back carefully as he turned to wave one last time before walking into his house and shutting the door.

He'd called him cute.

Swallowing hard, the British boy forced his feet to move and take him back home, desperately trying to ignore the very obvious blush that had formed on his face. He could see the back porch’s light on, as well as his uncle’s figure waiting patiently beside the door as George walked up with his gaze glued to the ground.

“You alright there, mate?”

“Yeah, yeah everything’s alright. Just.. exchanging numbers.”

Phil chuckled and nodded, ruffling his nephew’s hair again before walking back into the kitchen. With one last look down the hill to Dream’s house, George took a deep breath and walked in, closing the door behind him with a small _click_. He could hear Tubbo and Wilbur arguing as they sat in front of the living room TV, Mario Kart music blasting from the speakers as they quickly clicked away at their controllers. Techno sat with his back against the couch, crunching on some popcorn with Wilbur’s feet thrown onto his lap carelessly. Tommy turned at the sound of the door and grinned, waving at his cousin as he climbed over Tubbo’s lap to jump over the couch.

“Hey, Gogy, join us! We could use one more player to make things interesting!”

“Maybe later Tommy. I’m kind of tired right now.”

George ignored the way Tommy pouted at him as he walked up the stairs and into his room, sitting at the edge of the bed. Placing his head in his hands, he thought over the events that had taken place in the past hour, flashes of that dazzling smile popping up in his mind as he groaned loudly and let himself fall back onto the mattress. He stared up the ceiling quietly, the only sounds being that of his cousins playing downstairs, the gentle music coming from his aunt’s room, and the chirping of crickets outside his open window. By now, the sun had long set, leaving behind a blanket of twinkling stars that shone brightly against the dark contrast of the sky.

Just as he began to doze off, there was a loud ping that came from his bedside table, the light of his phone illuminating the room for a solid second. Sitting up and rubbing his eye sleepily, he reached over and grabbed his phone, squinting against the bright light as he slowly felt himself go warm once again.

**Unknown:** _hey, it’s dream. u up?_

* * *

“Good morning, George Davidson!”

Blinking tiredly, the British boy slowly raised his head from where it was resting on his table to look up at that familiar porcelain mask. He yawned, rubbing his eye as he mumbled a grumpy _‘good morning’_ back to Dream, who simply laughed and proceeded to plop himself onto his seat.

“Did I keep you up past your bedtime last night?”

“Oh shut it. You went to sleep at 2 in the bloody morning. On a _school_ night, no less.”

“So did you!”

Frowning, George stuck his tongue out playfully as Dream wheezed at his reaction. Slowly calming down, he set his elbow onto the table top and leaned his chin onto his palm, sighing and staring out the window over George’s shoulder. The older couldn’t help but follow his gaze, glancing back to see what Dream was so interested in. Seeing nothing, his face contorted into that one of confusion, looking back at the other boy and raising a curious brow.

“What? What are you staring at?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thought I saw a bird.”

“A bird? Really?” he said with a chuckle.

Before he could question him any further, the bell rang, and a flock of students began to enter the class. Their conversation died in favor of paying attention to what their teacher said, and soon, the bird was nothing more than a distant memory. Class passed by like normal, a couple of announcements here and there about new clubs being opened, before the bell rang once more, dismissing them to their next period. As George began to pack his things, humming an incoherent tune under his breath, he looked up at the tap of his shoulder, turning towards Dream.

“Yes?”

“Do you have anything planned after school today?” Dream asked, tilting his head curiously.

“Hm.. depends on how much homework they give us. I’d be free around.. 3 o’clock. That alright with you?”

When he received an excited nod, George couldn’t help but chuckle and finally throw his backpack over his shoulder, waving goodbye before finally moving to his next class. As he walked down the corridor, he stopped in his tracks and sighed, running a hand through his hair and staring through the sea of students moving by. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, feeling like there were wires stabbing at it every time it beat. 

He didn't like the way it felt.

* * *

Unfortunately for George (or maybe it was fortunately), the following weeks would be no different. Each morning, he was greeted with that same, smiling, porcelain mask that stared into him, in a way that it almost felt like it could read everything and anything he felt. And each afternoon, he found himself trudging down the grassy hill of his home, towards the other boy’s property, yelling at his aunt and uncle over his shoulder that he would be back before supper. That hypnotizing laugh constantly caused his heart to skip a beat, and sent a shiver down his back whenever those viridian eyes landed on him. His heart clenched to the point he found himself heaving for air in the bathroom stalls, clutching at his chest with wide, multi-colored eyes, desperately trying to swallow the lump that formed in his throat every time Dream smiled at him.

Dream. 

Everything was because of Dream.

That dazzling smile, that sickly sweet laugh, those dirty blonde locks that slipped past their hair tie and fell handsomely across his visible features. Those pretty freckles that were scattered across his neck and arms, and, George thought, maybe across sharp cheekbones that caused his mask to shift every time he laughed or called out his name. 

George realized, as he helped Kristen plant some new flowers round back, sweat trickling down his forehead and sun beating against his back, that he was falling. He was falling for the new boy in school, the new boy next door, the new boy that had stolen his breath away with a simple smile that first day of class. The new boy that he couldn’t seem to get out his head at night when the owls croaked their song and the crickets sing loudly within the trees that surrounded their property, the hum of cicadas overwhelming him as he pressed sweaty palm against closed eyes to try and rid himself of the image of Dream. 

He was falling for Dream, and he was falling hard.

* * *

**~ 3 weeks later ~**

“Hey, Aunt Kristen? I just wanted to let you know that I was planning on going over to the neighbor’s house for a bit. Dream wanted to show me something.” George said as he stood near the kitchen entrance, scratching at his arm as he stared at the ground. Kristen looked up and blinked, before smiling and giggling softly as she finished putting away the groceries.

“Run along then, just be home before it gets too dark, alright kiddo?”

With a nod, George hurried towards the back door and down the hill, letting his fingertips run along the tall grass as he made his way to Dream’s house. He found the taller boy standing near the picket fence, looking over at his phone before glancing up at the sound of crunching gravel. He smiled, mask tilted up the slightest bit as he began rocking back and forth on his heels the closer the other boy got.

“Hey! Didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I told you I would.”

“No, you said _maybe_.” Dream laughed as George rolled his eyes and tried to push away the nervousness that began to form in the pit of his stomach.

“So, what did you want to do?”

Dream’s chuckles slowly came to a halt as his grin grew, before grabbing George’s arm and making his way towards the back of his house. The older boy let himself get dragged along, taking in the pretty flower beds that accentuated the pristine house and the sweet smelling rose bushes that bloomed the closer they got to the back. Once there, Dream let go of him in favor of pulling out a neon green dirt bike from his shed, checking over the handles and wheels before throwing his leg over the seat and turning back to look at George. He motioned to the bars on the backside, made for someone to stand on, and with a bit of hesitance, George fixed himself so he stood behind Dream, hands placed firmly on his shoulders and nails digging in the slightest bit.

Before he could change his mind, Dream was peddling away rather fast down the dirt road behind his house, laughing at the yelp the older let out. Dirty blonde hair flew back with the wind that hit his face, wisps of gold catching his attention as George held on just a tad tighter. As the tall oak trees flew past in a blur of brown and green, the singing of robins echoing throughout the open space, the older couldn’t help but slowly smile, breathing in the petrichor smell of the forest. George laughed as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, fingers lax against Dream’s shoulders as the other chuckled and continued to pedal down the small hill.

A few minutes later, he slowly came to a halt, letting George gather his composure before glancing over his shoulder at the other male with a mischievous glint in his eyes. George looked down at him with a blank expression, before he burst into uncontrollable laughter, pale cheeks turning a soft pink as the other joined in. He wheezed as the older nearly fell while trying to get off the bike, shuffling forward as their laughter echoed throughout the trees. The two continued to laugh, even as Dream rested his bike against a tree trunk and continued to make his way down the road that slowly turned into cobblestone steps, taking the other’s hand into his own and helping him over the loose rocks that nearly had him slipping down the slight steep. At the touch of the other’s hand against him, George slowly stopped laughing and simply stared quietly, hesitantly squeezing his hand. He could hear the other’s breath hitch as he slowly squeezed back, the two going quiet as they made their way down the stairs.

Warm hands stayed clasped together.

At the bottom, Dream pulled him through some tall grass and berry bushes, pointing out pretty butterflies on flower petals and lizards on rocks. George smiled as the other cooed quietly at a small finch rested on a branch a few feet away, smile radiant under the porcelain mask as they continued walking. Finally, they ended up in a small, empty clearing in the middle of the woods, warm sunlight filtering through the trees as Dream hesitantly let go of his hand in order to face the older boy. Dream extended his arms to the side dramatically, giggling as George tilted his head curiously and smiled with a brow raised.

“So? What do you think?”

“This is what you dragged me out of my house and through the forest for?”

“Mhm! Found it while exploring yesterday afternoon with Sapnap. Made me think of you.” he mumbled the last part softly, dropping his arms to his side in favor of scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. George blinked in surprise, an unfamiliar yet welcoming warmth bathing over his body as he slowly stepped forward and took a good look at the clearing.

Green grass blanketed the rich soil beneath his sneakers, sweet smelling flowers sprouting here and there alongside mushrooms and dandelions. The sunlight that managed to shine through the tree branches and their leaves warmed the earth comfortingly, creating splotches of gold against George’s face as he closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the warmth of the sun. He could hear the taller boy make his way towards him, coming to a stop to his right and standing quietly beside him. Without another beat, he intertwined their fingers together, holding onto George’s hand in such a gentle way that it made the older’s heart throb painfully once again, throat closing up as he swallowed the lump forming there. After a few minutes of gentle silence, heterochronic eyes slowly opened, lashes fluttering prettily against warm cheeks as he slowly tilted his chin down to stare ahead, afraid of ruining the perfect silence that had settled against the forest.

To his relief, Dream was the first to break it, clearing his throat gently and glancing to his left at the other. Running his thumb against soft knuckles, he chuckled and used his other hand to push a loose strand of brown hair behind George’s ear, letting his thumb graze his neck for a split second before pulling away and sighing shakily.

“So uh.. Do you like it?”

“Yeah.. Yeah, I do.” he smiled, meeting the taller’s gaze as he gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Dream couldn’t help the smile that came over his features once again, turning back his attention to the clearing.

“Me too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ___
> 
> __- **Maya Angelou ******__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy holidays ! i hope you guys have a wonderful time <3

“Where are we going?” asked Dream, chuckling as George tugged him down the near empty corridors of the school. The lunchtime bell had rung a couple of minutes prior, and after grabbing themselves something to eat, the older had grabbed a hold of his wrist and began pulling him along.

“To the theater room. Wilbur and his friends are putting together a play, so sometimes the school allows them to use the theater room, which is also the only room with a working air conditioner.”

Dream nodded as George eventually stopped in front of two rickety doors, pushing one of them open and motioning him inside. Immediately he was greeted with cool, refreshing air that felt like heaven on his sweaty skin, sighing in satisfaction as George rolled his eyes playfully and made his way down the aisle in between. Hearing the door opening, Tommy peaked out from somewhere behind the stage, grinning from ear to ear as he pushed himself up and trudged towards the older boys.

“Dream! Have you come to see my incredible acting skills?” he boasted, thrusting his thumb into his chest as the older grinned toothily and ruffled the kid’s hair playfully.

“Of course! How could I miss such an Academy Award worthy performance?”

George raised a brow, giving him an amused _‘really?’_ type of look as the taller burst out laughing and took his seat on the front row, patting the seat beside him. Situating himself on the cushioned seat, the older relaxed and began to unpack his lunch, scanning the room with a mouthful of chicken alfredo, faintly hearing Tubbo call Tommy backstage to help lift something.

Although the theater had been rebuilt and contained the newest things (such as that godsent air conditioner), it was unused by most of the staff and student body. No one stepped foot inside unless there was a performance going on, and it wasn’t until Wilbur submitted a petition that they were finally allowed to open a theater club. Most of the members consisted of Year 10s and 12s, people who were either near ready to leave the school or were just in it because they were dragged along by their friends. And even then, most of them didn’t even show up to the meetings, dropping out within the first 4 days and leaving the group to grow smaller and smaller as the weeks went by. 

However, Wilbur never lost the pep in his step.

He was constantly writing and fixing the script, humming the soundtrack to _Hamilton_ under his breath when everyone else slept as he deleted and added more to the doc on his computer. Wilbur was sure to talk anyone’s ear off if they happened to show even the slightest bit of interest in what he was doing, going on and on about the beauty there was in watching everything burn around the character that had everything they worked for ripped away. George was glad Wilbur had friends who understood just what he was feeling, because if he had to listen to Wilbur rant on and on about Chekhov's gun one more time, he was bound to lose it.

As if on cue, his younger cousin stepped from around the velvet curtain, humming under his breath as his eyes were glued onto the small stack of papers in his hand. Following right in his footsteps was a much shorter girl with pretty blonde hair tied into small pigtails on either side of her face, accentuating baby blue eyes and kind features. She talked in a soft voice, giggling when Wilbur looked at her smiled teasingly. Dream nudged at his side, opening his mouth like a hungry baby bird as George rolled his eyes and stuck the fork in between his teeth, careful as to not spill any of the pasta on the floor. The taller wheezed, catching the attention of the other two on stage as Wilbur smiled and waved.

“Dream, George! I see you two have decided to join us today.”

“It was too hot outside. Plus, as Dream here told your little brother, there was no way we were gonna miss such an Academy Award worthy performance.”

Rolling his eyes playfully, Dream swallowed the pasta in his mouth and placed his container down, making his way to the stage and resting his arms on the edge, looking up at the other two.

“So, what’s this play about anyways?” he asked, genuine curiosity in those viridian eyes of his as Wilbur’s practically shone brightly like stars, motioning Dream up onto the stage. He was quick to jump on, nearly slipping back as he situated himself and playfully winked at Niki. She laughed and shook her head, a pink colour rising onto her cheeks happily as Wilbur flipped through the pages of the script and went to stand beside Dream to show him the different brightly highlighted lines and actions.

“So, this play is about these kids who find this land to live on, right? They begin inviting some of their friends to live there as well, but soon, those friends begin to sort of separate themselves from the group, to the point they want to declare their independence from the nation their friends had already built. This whole war breaks out, there’s fighting and destruction and explosions, but in the end, they gain their independence.”

“Oh, so like the American Revolution?”

“Exactly! But this time, make it European!”

Dream burst on wheezes as the others joined in, the air filled with the cheery sound of their laughter and banter. Once they were able to finally situate themselves, Wilbur wiped at his eye and looked down at the script, grin falling into something akin to satisfaction as he sighed and ran a thumb against the inked words. 

“I’ve worked on this story for years, actually. Since I was around Tommy and Tubbo’s age. There was no club back then, so I kept this to myself, a little secret that only me and my brain knew about. Since this is my last year here, I decided, fuck it, and turned in the form to make a theater club. I want my legacy to be remembered.. I want to be known as the kid who made the best play this shitty little town has ever seen. I want to go out with a boom.”

“A boom..” Dream echoed, looking out of the empty rows of seats. Wilbur mimicked him, standing tall and gripping the script in his hands tightly. He let out a soft, sad chuckle, looking back down and shaking his head.

“Unfortunately, it’s very likely that won’t happen. Not a lot of people seem to want to join in, and we still need major roles to be filled. I’m just glad to be-”

“I’ll do it. I can get my brother to sign up as well.” Dream responded, turning to Wilbur with an easy smile as the older boy sputtered over his words slightly, eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked between the other boy and Niki, who smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

“A-Are you for real? You’re not just pulling my leg here?”

When Dream’s grin grew, Wilbur couldn’t help letting out a whoop of excitement, throwing the script in the air in favour of picking up Niki and twirling the screeching girl in excitement. Tommy and Tubbo peaked around the corner, matching expressions of confusion on their faces as Wilbur set Niki down and grinned at them.

“Guess who’s joining the cast.”

“No way-”

“Dream?!”

* * *

“So you’re really going ahead with it? You know, with my cousin’s play and all.” George asked with a yawn, looking up at the rustling treetops and blinking sleepily as he soaked up the warm rays of sun. Dream hummed in agreement beside him, thumb tracing figures idly on the older’s palm as they laid in peaceful silence. Turning his head to the left, George couldn’t help but smile, bringing up their clasped hands to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to Dream’s knuckles, causing the other to stutter of his breath as the tips of his ears turned bright red. 

“I like it when you blush. Your ears look cute.”

“My ears? _That’s_ what you notice?”

“I mean, yeah. It’s not like I can see your face.”

“Point.” Dream chuckled, scooting closer to the older boy and turning to lay on his side, propping his head up with his hand. George smiled and turned to face him properly, letting the side of his face rest against the sweet smelling grass below as he examined the other’s mask.

“Why do you wear a mask?”

“Why don’t you?” 

“I want to see your face, Dream.”

There was a sudden stillness that settled over the forest grounds, the sound of birds singing and the buzzing of insects around them ceasing with ease. Dream stared at him quietly, before pushing himself up and staring sightlessly ahead of him, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms on them. Slowly, George sat up as well, brows creased in worry as he swallowed the lump that made its way to his throat. He stared at the boy before him nervously, casting his eyes to the grass below as he pulled at it to try and distract himself from the silence that seemed to grow heavier and heavier.

“I’m.. Not sure if I’m ready. I trust you, George, don’t get me wrong but it’s.. Personal.”

“Oh.. oh, alright.” George mumbled, eyes still trained onto the ground. Glancing over, Dream sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pulling the hair tie off and letting it cascade over his masked face. After a few moments, the younger smiled and reached out, tilting George’s chin up with two fingers and smiling sweetly.

“I’ll show you my face on New Years, start the year off with a bang. How does that sound?”

George slowly nodded, brown eyes blown wide as Dream giggled and pulled away in favour of standing up, brushing the dirt off his jeans. He helped the other stand a moment later, and soon, they began to walk up the path to the main road, shoulders brushing as they trudged through the grass. Before they got too far, the taller stopped in his tracks and turned around to face their special spot, blinking quietly as the other tilted his head and waited. After a few moments, Dream shook his head and smiled, grabbing George’s hand and squeezing it as they continued on their merry way.

( [_**Arms- The Paper Kites**_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gebjNeiWYaI) )

On the ride back to their houses, George couldn’t help but let himself think. It’d been a good two months since he’d met Dream, and already, he was falling head over heels for the blonde boy. If he had to be truly honest.. He was scared. Scared that they were moving too fast or too slow, scared that he said the wrong things and ruined the perfect chances. Scared that he’d lose Dream the same way he lost his parents.

He was scared of falling in love.

George was pulled out his thoughts by the bike slowly coming to a stop, moving off it and walking alongside the other as they took it back into the shed. He could see that Dream was watching him through his mask, moving around him carefully and letting his touch linger slightly longer as they made their way to the front of Dream’s house in total silence.

“Let me walk you home.”

“Dream I literally live over the hill. I don’t think I’ll get lost that easily.” George chuckled, pushing his hair out of his face. Dream rolled his eyes and insisted until the older boy gave in, hands brushing slightly as they trudged over the hill to his uncle’s home. Once at the front, George sighed and stopped in his tracks, looking up at the old, 2 story house that he had been calling home for the past 5 years. The other stopped beside him and tilted his head to the side in silent question, reaching over to brush his knuckles against his cheekbone.

“You okay..?”

“Mhm. Just.. thinking.”

“About?” Dream asked, keeping his hand against George’s face. The other smiled and leaned into the touch, sighing contently as he reached up and laced their fingers together.

“Us.”

The taller froze, Adam apple bobbing as he swallowed hard and stared at the other quietly. George looked up through fluttering lashes, strands of brown hair falling over his face as Dream let out a shaky breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in. Green eyes were blown wide, the colour swallowed almost completely from his dilated pupils as he stared at George with wonder, curiosity, nervousness, fear, and above all..

Tenderness. Soft and sweet like the lilacs that decorated Kristen’s garden, his love for the other as rich as milk and raw as honey.

“Goodnight, Dream. I’ll see you tomorrow.” George whispered into his knuckles, pressing one last kiss to the freckled skin before hesitantly pulling away and walking up the steps of the front porch. As he pulled open the screen door to let himself in, he was pulled away by the back of his shirt, letting out a small yelp at the sudden movement. He turned to scold Dream, tell him off for yanking him back so quickly, but was easily silenced by the press of lips against his own. 

Dream, the boy he had fallen head over heels for, the boy that stole his breath away with every smile and laugh, the boy that made him feel more at home than he had for the past 5 years, was kissing him like his lips were oxygen and he was a drowning man.

George pressed back just as eagerly as the other, sighing into the kiss and running his hands through the other’s tangled hair as Dream pulled him closer by the belt loops of his jeans. They kissed like it would be the last time they would ever get to, sweet and timid against each other as the last of the summer’s heat caused a trickle of sweat to run down Dream’s temple. They stayed pressed together until their lungs screamed for air, finally forcing the two to pull away with heaving chests. George stared at Dream quietly before he burst into a wide smile, cheeks a bright red colour as Dream mirrored him.

“Didn’t think you’d have it in you, big man.”

“Well, I just had to prove you wrong, pretty boy.”

George couldn’t help but laugh, rich and heartfelt as Dream chuckled and pressed his face into his shoulder, mask shifting a bit as the shorter continued to giggle and run nimble fingers against his hair, humming in contentment as the warm feeling that blossomed inside his stomach. After a couple more minutes, Dream hesitantly pulled himself away, blush crawling down his freckled neck as he held onto George’s hands and gave them a squeeze.

“Tomorrow, same time?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay. Alright, I’ll be waiting. Okay?”

“Okay.” George laughed, smiling brightly as Dream slowly let go and began walking backwards, nearly flipping himself back as he crashed against the fence, too entranced in the other to pay attention to where he was going. Finally, he turned and began walking back, but not before stopping dead in the middle of the empty dirt road for a couple of seconds before bursting out in loud whoops, jumping up and down and yelling at the top of his lungs.

“I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT! I KISSED HIM!!”

George wheezed, an even brighter blush forming over his face as he rested against the porch gate, letting the warm air blow against his face, which was starting to ache from how much he was smiling at watching Dream sprint the rest of the way home, still yelling at the top of his lungs accompanied by his contagious laughter.

“George? Is everything alright out here? Why is Dream yelling?” Kristen asked, peeking her head out of the laundry room as he simply shook his head and continued smiling, a warm twinkle in his eyes as he brought his fingers up to touch his lips lightly.

“Everything is perfectly okay, aunty. Perfect.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i now have a tumblr !! 
> 
> twt - milkbagio  
> tumblr - mokeyy-03


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” ___
> 
> __- **Helen Keller ******__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAA THANK YOU GUYS FOR STICKING AROUND

George hummed gently under his breath, eyes fixated on the cardboard in front of him as a steady hand guided his brush across the blank space, painting it a dark green that reminded him of the grass back in his and Dream’s secret place. He dipped his brush back into the paint bucket and tapped any excess colour off, going back to creating the scenery that would be used as a backdrop in Wilbur’s play. Every touch of colour, every little detail that George created brought the picture more and more to life, bringing what Wilbur worked so hard to create into a reality.

Soon after their little kiss on the porch, Dream had dragged George into the behind the scenes of the play, convincing him to join and help out (and totally not so they had more excuses to see each other). Wilbur was more than happy to let George join, assigning him different jobs and rambling about the different sceneries he had planned out in his head, giving as much detail as possible in order to create the exact feel he was going for. The older only sighed and went along, trying to stifle a smile as his cousin’s eyes seemed to shine a little brighter the more the cast grew each day.

“Holy _shit_ , George.”

“Hm?” he piped up, glancing over his shoulder at the familiar American accent as Dream set down the planks of wood he was carrying and made his way over to where George was squatting, admiring the work of art before him. He shifted his mask slightly to get a better look, grinning and crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced down and met the other’s eyes.

“You never told me you were an artist.”

George shrugged. “It’s not something I tell many. Plus, it’s not like I’m the greatest in the world, it’s just a hobby of mine I picked up from my mum.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re actually like, wickedly amazing!”

The British boy snorted and rolled his eyes, standing up with a groan and stretching his arms above his head until he heard a satisfying pop from his back. Dream admired his work for a few moments longer before shaking his head and snaking his arm around the shorter’s waist, pulling him closer to his side as George mirrored his actions.

“You know, Wilbur wants me to join the cast as one of the official actors. Something along the lines of still not having as many people as he wants.”

“You don’t say..” the taller mumbled, clicking his tongue before suddenly grinning widely again.

“Why don’t you design an official poster? I mean, if people actually saw something cool rather than just hear from word of mouth, it’s bound to catch more than one person’s eye! Plus, with your amazing talent, I don’t think it’ll be that hard to come up with something!”

George blinked, before his eyes lit up , turning towards Dream and pulling the younger down by the sides of his mask. Green eyes stared quizzically at his beaming smile, cheeks squished as George squeezed his face with his paint splattered hands.

“Dream you absolute _genius_ , that’s it! A poster! I’ll talk to Will about it, ooh! Maybe ask Niki if she’s done designing the costumes with Fundy. I also need a backdrop, some inspiration for the setting..”

“I mean, we can always take them _there_ ,” Dream said as he fixed his tousled mask, pouting the tiniest bit as he rested his chin on top of the shorter’s head, “But then that means it won’t be our secret spot anymore.”

He hummed and thought it over in his head, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Eventually, he couldn’t help but smile softly, glancing back up at the smiley mask and patting Dream’s cheek affectionately. George’s eyes twinkled with something soft and warm as slender fingers trailed to rest comfortable at the nape of his neck, carding through dirty blonde locks of hair that fell loose from their restrictive hair tie.

“You know, a happy place doesn’t always have to be kept a secret. It’s _beautiful_ , Dream, and other people should have a chance to see it as well. Plus, that forest is no one else’s but ours to conquer. It’s like an entire kingdom, and it’s entirely ours to rule together.”

“A kingdom huh..” Dream mumbled, before grinning brightly as he nodded.

“Then it’s all set.”

* * *

“Gogy what are we doing out here? You’re not going to murder us and take our fuckin’ bones are you?”

“Someone, please, shut the child up before I really do end up strangling them.” George grumbled under his breath, walking in front of the group with Dream at his side. Tommy and Tubbo mimicked his voice before falling quiet at a single sharp look from Techno. George sighed in relief, before motioning down the old stone stairs and carefully making his way down, the path already worn out from how many times he and Dream had visited it. He helped Niki jump over a hole in the ground, smiling at her shy nature as she thanked him before scurrying over to Wilbur. Fundy hopped around and tugged on Eret’s sleeve, pointing at the different plants and insects and rambling facts about them and their nature, a faint ' _nerdd'_ coming from Techno.

Eventually, they made it to the all too familiar clearing, the lush canopy of the trees above quivering in the breeze that slowly became colder, nipping at sharp noses and red cheeks. Yellowing leaves scattered the bright green grass, accentuating the mushrooms that sprouted from cool ground below. Dream marched ahead and stepped into the clearing, face turned up as he raised his arms above his head and stretched, body relaxed as he turned to the rest and moved his mask up the slightest bit so they could see his bright grin peeking out from underneath the porcelain.

“Welcome to our kingdom, everybody!”

“This place is gorgeous..” mumbled Eret, peeking out over his sunglasses and admiring the beautiful scenery. Tubbo and Tommy moved forward with sparkling eyes, matching grins on their faces as they looked up and watched the afternoon sun filter in through the leaves.

“You could totally build a sick tree house here!” said Tubbo, trudging over to where a branch from a nearby tree hung low and began to climb it with ease, his twin hot on his heel. Dream chuckled as he watched them, turning towards the rest and holding his hand out to George. The older rolled his eyes playfully and took it, grinning shyly as Dream pulled him close, throwing his arm comfortably around his shoulder.

“Well, you might wanna bring that up with George. He’s the big boss around here.”

“Me? The boss? Save the flattery, dear!”

Dream cackled, motioning the others closer as they spread out and began to set up. At some point, Tubbo had hung upside down from a tree branch and handed Nikki a flower he had picked from the tree, grinning cheekily as she giggled and placed it in her hair, pressing a friendly kiss to his cheek that had him nearly falling off the tree branch. Wilbur hummed the verse to his newest song, moving his head to the beat as he helped George set up the camera in a way that would capture the breathtaking scenery.

“So, what exactly is the plan here, big man?” Tommy asked, shrugging on the costume that Nikki, Eret and Fundy had thrown together for him, smoothing his hair out as Wilbur messed with the settings on the camera.

“The plan is to take pictures of you guys acting out scenes from the play so that George here can put together a poster to advertise it.” Dream explained through closed teeth as he held his hair tie between him, picking his hair up into a bun. George nodded in agreement and couldn’t help but stare at Dream as he pulled the lime green hoodie that was part of his costume, fixing the sleeves so they were pulled up to his forearms and not blocking the view of his fingerless gloves. Feeling eyes on the back of his neck, the taller turned and met George’s gaze, breaking out into a smile as he waved over excitedly. George snorted, before calling out for everyone to get into place.

“So uh.. What exactly do we do again?” asked Tubbo, messing with his oversized dark green button up and pouting as Eret slapped his hand away. Wilbur shrugged and shuffled up to them, guitar slung over his back as he pulled a burgundy beanie over his curls.

“Act out the script like we practiced.”

“That’s the thing, we never _practiced_ , Wilbur.” Tommy pointed out, huffing in annoyance and crossing his arms. Before he could say anything, Dream was stepping forward and swinging a random stick he found over his shoulder, all too natural and carefree as he pointed said stick towards Tommy and poked at his chest.

“So,  _ child _ , what do you think of my place?”

“Do  _ not _ call me a child, you bastard. I’m a big man, a  _ huge _ man.”

And just as easy as breathing, they fell into their characters, poking fun at each and acting as if the greenery around them really was something majestic, something more than a simple forest clearing that 2 foreign, measly teenagers found. Tommy acted like never before, and in a way that had even Techno put down his book to watch his little brother in action. Tubbo, too, was right behind him, taking on his part as easily as the other two had. And Dream..

From where George stood, holding the camera up to his face and snapping shots, George could see that this was something more than just acting for a high school play. He talked about the place like there was something there, something only he could see. He pointed at trees and called them giants, pointed at bushes and called them thrones. He held his stick up to the twins and called it a  _ sword _ , a precious artifact passed down to him from the ones within the forest, as he said. 

It was as if there truly was a kingdom around them, a nation that only someone like Dream could see.

It made something within George’s chest squeeze.

When night began to fall over the forest grounds, they stopped their photoshoot and began to gather pieces of wood they could use to light a fire, finding a patch of ground nearby that was clear of anything flammable. Within minutes, they had a campfire going, the gentle glow of the flames illuminating their faces as Wilbur strummed his guitar and Tommy sang brokenly to it. George burst out laughing as Tommy sang something about women, earning him a smack by Nikki who couldn’t hold back her own laughter at the stupid joke.

“So, Dream, how  _ did _ you find this place? I mean, out of all of us, you’ve lived here the shortest time and managed to find something none of us could.” Fundy asked, arms resting on his bent knees as Dream glanced up and chuckled, ruffling his own hair and leaning back on his hands, which rested flat on the ground behind him.

“Well, let’s just say, I didn't find it. It _let_ me and my little brother find it.” 

“Jesus, what is this, Narnia?” Wilbur perked up, laughter filling up the clearing as Dream wheezed and shook his head.

“No, but it might be close. Seriously, we passed this area like 3 times and all we saw was an empty lot filled with people’s trash. Suddenly, I sort of felt like something had been draped over my head, and before I knew it, me and Sapnap were standing in the middle of this area, an area we remember vividly being filled with trash and overgrown weed.”

The group fell silent as they stared at him quietly, suspiciously, almost as they expected him to burst out laughing at his joke. When all he did was rub the back of his neck in nervousness, they began to ask questions by the dozen, causing him to blink in genuine surprise and glance at George. He only smiled, resting his head against the other’s shoulder and closing his eyes, indulging in the warmth Dream radiated accompanied by the crackling flames a few feet from him.

After hours of exchanging stories, singing, and roasting marshmallows, they stood and began to gather their things, Techno putting out the fire gently with some dirt. They walked up the cracked stairs and down the pathway illuminated by the moon, crickets chirping all around them in tune to the last of the cicadas humming around the trees. As their houses came into view, they split up their individual ways, getting into each other’s cars and bidding goodnight. George stayed behind with Dream, hands clasped together as he watched his cousin’s run up the hill towards their house, yells and laughter echoing in the wind. The older chuckled, brushing his thumb against sharp knuckles and grinning when Dream leaned down to press a sweet kiss to his cheek.

“Have fun today, dear?”

“Mhm, more than ever. I’ve never quite.. Bonded with them this way before. Especially my family..” George mumbled, watching as the porch light flickered once, twice, three times, a signal from his aunt to come inside soon. He sighed, bringing Dream’s hand up to his face and pressing gentle kisses to his wrist.

“You know, when you were taking pictures, I saw you looking at me.”

“How could I not, love? You’re breathtaking.” George laughed, staring up at the porcelain mask with warm eyes. Dream shook his head, not being able to hold back his blush as he flicked George’s forehead playfully.

“No, no, I mean, you were  _ looking. _ Did.. did you see it too?”

George raised a brow, tilting his head to the side as Dream chewed on his lower lip. He turned to face the entrance to the forest, looking up to the tops of the trees and whispering softly, adam apple bobbing in his throat as he spoke.

“Just open your eyes. Open them wide and you’ll see.”

“See what?”

“Terabithia.” he breathed, softly, quietly, like he himself didn’t believe it. George made a noise akin to that of confusion as he stared back into the dark forest as well, brows scrunched as he tried to decipher what Dream had told him.

“Terabithia? Uh.. Dream, I hate to tell you this but, my eyes are wide open and I still don’t know what the bloody hell you’re going on about.”

“Not your actual eyes, dumbass.” Dream laughed, turning back to look at George and grinning widely as he tapped his head with his finger.

“In here. Open them in here and you’ll see it.”

_**[(Seeing Terabithia (Score) - Aaron Zigman)](https://youtu.be/mPxzm1x_kyg) ** _

George stared at him suspiciously, but went along with what he said. Closing his eyes, he turned so he faced the forest completely, taking a deep breath in. He listened for the croak of the frogs down by the lake and the hoot of the owls, listened for the nightingale's song and the raccoon's chirps. George focused on the life moving around him, on the warmth and happiness it brought him the past months, focused on Dream, who stood behind him with his arms wrapped around his waist. He could feel the taller lean down near his ear, lips brushing against the outer shell and warm breath fanning across his neck.

“Open them.”

George did as he was told, brown eyes flickering open slowly. He stared ahead, blinking for a few seconds, before he suddenly gasped.

The entrance of the forest was lit by beautiful sphere oil lamps hanging from the branches of the forest, vines sprouting up from the ground and snaking across an oak arch that appeared in the middle of the pathway. Moonflowers bloomed before his eyes as they framed the sign that slowly started to form above the archway, golden letters reading  _ Terabithia _ appearing across the sign. 

“Can you see it? Can you see Terabithia?”

“Holy  _ shit. _ ”

Dream laughed wholeheartedly and pressed a kiss to his cheek, resting his chin on top of the other’s head and smiling widely as George tried to take in the surreal beauty of what he was seeing. The taller slowly pulled away and walked around him so he stood in front of the entrance, fixing his mask before bowing and holding his hand towards George, much like he had done earlier that day. He swallowed hard, eyes racking over the arch and the moonflowers, over the oil lamps and the sign above reading Terabithia, and finally, over Dream, who looked at him with twinkling green eyes.

“Welcome home, George.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a twt and tumblr now!
> 
> twt - mokyy_03  
> tumblr - mokeyy-03


End file.
